Jey Uso winning the Rumble is worth the risk for WWE
A look at the Royal Rumble, the fall of Israel Adesanya, and the latest on Vince McMahon
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Jey Uso is headed to WrestleMania
John Cena’s farewell run didn’t begin with a Royal Rumble victory.
Instead, Jey Uso secured a world title spot at WrestleMania by winning the Rumble.
In a move very few, if any, predicted, Uso eliminated Cena to win the match. The unexpected victory allows Uso to chase gold, specifically Gunther’s World Heavyweight Championship, as well as extends Cena’s chase for one last WrestleMania main event, which he’ll have to secure next month at Elimination Chamber.
The star-studded Rumble also included CM Punk, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, and Sami Zayn. It was a celebration of multiple WWE generations, and a brand-new era was born when Uso won. Very rare it is to see someone long branded a tag team wrestler breakthrough as a singles star (Bret Hart must be smiling), but that is the path Uso has taken as he heads to WrestleMania.
Long term, hopefully Uso’s Rumble victory is viewed like Hart’s and less like Alberto Del Rio, who is now an afterthought. It is a risk to give the moment to someone unproven in the main event, but that is exactly why it is so refreshing to see WWE going all in on Uso.
Why not take a chance and attempt to build a new star? Uso has the crowd behind him. Despite a poor singles match against his brother Jimmy last year at WrestleMania, he can work compelling matches. And he has a backstory with Gunther, who defeated him last week on Saturday Night’s Main Event. I’m all in on Uso, and I’m thrilled that WWE took a risk on one of their longtime veterans.
Here are the results from the Rumble:
Charlotte Flair won the women’s Royal Rumble
DIY defeated the Motor City Machine Guns in a two-out-of-three falls match to retain the WWE tag team titles
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defeated Kevin Owens in a ladder match
Jey Uso won the men’s Royal Rumble
And here are a dozen takeaways from last night’s event:
It lacked drama, but I enjoyed seeing Charlotte Flair return from an ACL injury to win the Rumble. WWE is a far more interesting place when Flair is prominently involved, and it had been too long since we saw her. Now there are two options–Rhea Ripley and Tiffany Stratton–that are both appealing for a match against Flair at WrestleMania. It would be their third match at Mania against one another, but I’d be open to Flair-Ripley if that means Ripley can get the win and further establish herself as one of the company’s biggest stars.
Welcome back, Alexa Bliss. That was a nice surprise, and it will be fascinating to see how she is used–and if she’ll be paired with the Wyatt Sicks, who are quickly becoming an afterthought.
Nikki Bella was put in a tough spot by coming out at number 30. I would have had Trish Stratus in that spot and had Bella come out earlier, or simply flipped Bella with Nia Jax, who came out at 29–and the crowd was blind to boo Jax anyway.
Another sign that Vince McMahon is no longer in charge: NXT was well represented in the women’s Rumble, especially by Roxanne Perez, Giulia, and Stephanie Vaquer. Perez even spent over an hour in the match, setting a new record for the women’s Rumble. We’ve come a long way from Vince cutting NXT talent whenever he could.
During the world title match, it was tough to see the current WWE title beside the classic Winged Eagle belt. It’s not even close: the Winged Eagle is such a better-looking belt.
When Michael Cole mentioned that there were celebrities in the crowd, and we were treated to Belal Muhammad and John Mellencamp (who ever thought you’d see those two names paired together?), it felt too much like UFC’s production. Even though they’re both operating under the TKO banner, WWE should have a different feel from UFC.
AJ Styles is timeless. No matter what he’s doing at WrestleMania–even if that means wrestling Logan Paul–it will be worth watching.
How does one forearm from Carmelo Hayes knock Akira Tozawa out of commission? And am I officially old if I have no interest in seeing content creators in the Rumble?
The two-out-of-three falls match for the tag titles was good but not great. It felt like an elaborate way to reintroduce the Street Profits back into the title bout, but this time as heels. I’d guess we’ll see a triple threat between DIY, the Motor City Machine Guns, and the Profits at WrestleMania.
Can anyone explain to me why Braun Strowman was in the Rumble? He suffered a brutal beatdown just one week ago at the hands of Jacob Fatu on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Yet, there he was, one week later, seeking revenge. That’s the definition of wasting a moment. Was anyone in the world desperately seeking to see Strowman so soon? It was a shame to ruin something so significant.
Even though the event took place in Indianapolis at the Colts stadium, I still can’t believe we were treated to highlights from Pat McAfee’s playing career. I sincerely hope this wasn’t his idea. More surprising to me is that there wasn’t one blooper/misplay to add some levity to the moment. Also: bring back Corey Graves.
Early in the Rumble, Penta accidentally had both of his feet hit the floor. The broadcast team was quick to note that only one foot hit the floor, even though that clearly wasn’t the case. But it is a perfect opportunity for Chad Gable to show the replay on Raw and challenge Penta’s success in the Rumble, which would play well for Gable.
Kevin Owens wins in defeat
Despite losing his title match, Kevin Owens came away a winner at the Royal Rumble.
Owens wrestled a phenomenal ladder match with Cody Rhodes, working a physical style all match before taking a ferocious bump that left him unable to stop Rhodes from climbing the ladder. Ultimately, the finish was Owens losing another title match, but this one felt different. He is incredibly passionate about his craft, so much so that he makes others believe in what he is doing.
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